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Pelakon dan pengacara popular, Didie Alies mengakui kecewa dan terkilan ditipu rakan karib sendiri dan gara-gara pengalamannya itu membuatkan dia lebih berwaspada dalam menerima sebarang tawaran.

"Pengalaman tahun lepas memang membuat saya lebih berhati-hati dan saya benar-benar kecewa. Ini kerana pemilik syarikat tersebut merupakan rakan yang telah dikenali sejak 15 tahun lalu," ujarnya .

Didie atau nama sebenarnya Fadzilah Mohd Ali yang terpilih sebagai selebriti pertama dan menjadi pilihan syarikat pelancongan Amar Travel & Tours berkata ketika menerima tawaran ini dia ada memeriksa latar belakang syarikat ini juga.

"Sejujurnya sebelum terima tawaran Amar Travel & Tours ini, saya telah memeriksa latar belakang syarikat itu dan terbukti mereka telah lama dalam bidang pelancongan dan lesen."

Dalam perkembangan lain, pelakon yang terkenal dengan jolokan nama Gaga Malaysia ini dalam perancangan untuk membuka perniagaan jenama fesyen sendiri.

"Saya akan memulakan fesyen dengan jenama sendiri dan berkolaborasi bersama beberapa pereka fesyen yang dikenali. Antara produk yang akan dijual ialah seperti aksesori, kemeja-T dan kemeja edisi terhad," akhirinya.

Miss World baru, Megan Young dari Filipina berdiri selepas memenangi mahkota dalam Miss World 2013 akhir di Nusa Dua, di resort Pulau Bali Nusa Dua : Miss Filipina dinobatkan Miss World 2013 di satu acara bergemerlapan finale pada hari Sabtu di resort pulau Indonesia Bali, di tengah-tengah keselamatan yang ketat berikutan protes kaum Muslim.

 Beratus-ratus radikal Islam mengadakan sessi sembahyang di masjid berhampiran untuk menyatakan kemarahan mereka, manakala Megan menangis kerana dia memenangi gelaran anugerah pada akhir pertandingan tiga minggu itu.

 Pada usia 23 tahun, memakai gaun putih mutiara , berjanji untuk menjadi ” terbaik Miss World yang pernah ada” di hadapan orang ramai yg bersorak termasuk ramai penduduk Filipina , di tempat yang dijaga oleh polis bersenjata dan meriam air.

 Mengecam ratu sebagai ” pertandingan pelacur ” dan ” pornografi “, penunjuk perasaan tertekan pihak berkuasa ke beralih tempat, tanda terbaru pengaruh yang semakin meningkat pinggir negara.

 Beratus-ratus polis telah dikerahkan di seluruh Bali untuk akhir Sabtu lalu , yang menyaksikan 127 peserta yang berpakaian stilettos dan gaun berkilauan mengambil ke peringkat di Nusa Dua resort , selatan Bali. Miss World , Megan Young Young, pertama yang pernah menang dari Filipina mengambil mahkota dari pemenang tahun lepas, China Yu Wenxia .

 Peserta Perancis Marine Lorphelin tempat kedua , manakala Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter Ghana di tempat ketiga . Menambah kepada kebimbangan keselamatan dalam jangka ke perlawanan akhir, Amerika, kedutaan British dan Australia telah memberi amaran bahawa pelampau mungkin menyerang ratu itu. Bali telah mengalami serangan pelampau sebelum ini, terutamanya pada tahun 2002 apabila pengeboman membunuh lebih daripada 200 orang , kebanyakan mereka pelancong asing.

 Penganjur pada asalnya merancang untuk mengadakan perlawanan akhir di tempat 10,000 tempat duduk di Sentul , sebelum terpaksa berpindah ke pusat 2,000 tempat duduk di Nusa Dua. Seramai 129 peserta telah disebabkan untuk bersaing di peringkat akhir , tetapi dua ditarik keluar di saat-saat akhir , menurut penganjur.

Selebriti bergelar ibu terbaik di Hollywood 28 Sep - Ia semestinya cukup sukar menjadi seorang selebriti, tetapi menjadi seorang ibu selebriti membuat segala-galanya lebih sukar, terutama apabila perlu membesarkan anak-anak dengan perhatian yang secukupnya.

Oleh itu, kali ini kami ingin menyenaraikan beberapa selebriti bergelar terkemuka yang telah membuktikan bahawa dengan sedikit kerja keras dan dedikasi, ia adalah mungkin untuk membesarkan anak-anak dengan perhatian yang baik walaupun dalam dunia glamor Hollywood.

 Nicole Richie 
Nicole Richie bermula sebagai sahabat baik Paris Hilton tetapi kini dia bergelar ibu kepada seorang anak perempuan, Harlow dan seorang anak lelaki, Sparrow. Dia bertunang dengan Joel Madden vokalis band Good Charlotte dan pernah mengatakan bahawa dia menghargai pendapat anak-anaknya.

Victoria Beckham 
Victoria Beckham merupakan yang teratas dalam senarai selebriti yang bergelar ibu kerana dedikasinya untuk menjadi seorang ibu kepada empat anak walaupun berkerjaya. Hasil perkongsian hidup bersama bintang bola sepak David Beckham, pasangan ini dikurniakan tiga anak lelaki dan seorang anak perempuan iaitu Brooklyn Joseph, Romeo James ,Cruz David dan Harper Steven. Selain itu, dia juga seorang ibu yang bekerja yang sentiasa ada untuk anak-anak dan dalam pada masa yang sama mengekalkan perkahwinan bahagia dan menjalankan empayar fesyen.

Katie Holmes 
Katie Holmes menikmati hari-hari dengan anak perempuannya, Suri Cruise, hasil perkongsian hidup bersama pelakon Tom Cruise. Pasangan itu kini bercerai tetapi Katie telah memastikan bahawa Suri akan hidup dalam kehidupan normal. Si comel Suri sering bergambar bersama ibunya dan menjadi perhatian semua jurufoto.

Michelle Williams 
Michelle Williams mempunyai kehidupan yang sangat peribadi dengan anak perempuan bersama mendiang Heath Ledger. Dia berazam untuk membuat yang terbaik untuk anaknya dan cuba untuk elakkan perhatian dari dunia selebriti supaya anaknya boleh menjalani kehidupan yang normal. Selain itu, Michelle turut melawat ibu bapa Heath secara kerap untuk memastikan keluarga serapat yang mungkin walaupun Heath sudah tiada.

Jessica Alba 
Hasil perkongsian hidup Jessica Alba dan suaminya, Cash Warren, mereka dikurniakan dua orang anak perempuan yang comel. Setelah bergelar, Alba banyak menghabiskan masanya di taman dengan anak-anak dan menikmati keindahan menjadi seorang ibu. Selain itu, dia akan memastikan keluarga adalah yang pertama dalam hidupnya.

Kourtney Kardashian 
Kourtney Kardashian adalah anak sulung daripada keluarga Kardashian dan juga terkenal kerana menjadi selebriti bergelar ibu yang bertanggungjawab dan penyayang. Dia dan Scott Disick dikurniakan seorang anak lelaki, Mason Dash Disick, dan seorang anak perempuan, Penelope Scotland. Tabiatnya yang gemar berpesta berubah selepas kelahiran anak pertama dan berkata, dia menghargai masa yang berkualiti dengan anak-anaknya.

Jennifer Garner 
Jennifer Garner adalah seorang pelakon terkenal, seorang isteri yang sangat mencintai suaminya, Ben Affleck dan seorang ibu yang menakjubkan kepada anak-anaknya. Berkahwin sejak tahun 2005, pasangan itu telah dikurniakan tiga orang puteri. Garner telah dinobatkan sebagai selebriti bergelar ibu yang ideal oleh beberapa laman sesawang. Hmm... Menarik!

Denise Richards 
Sejak bergelar ibu, Denise telah melalui banyak transformasi. Beliau tersenarai di atas sebagai selebriti bergelar ibu terbaik kerana usahanya dalam membesarkan anak-anaknya Sam dan Lola, hasil perkongsian hidup bersama Charlie Sheen. Selain itu, dia juga mengambil Eloise sebagai anak angkat. Yang menakjubkan sekali, dia sanggup menjaga si kembar, Max dan Bob, anak Sheen hasil perkahwinan yang sebelumnya.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA's newest delivery service pulled up at the International Space Station on Sunday after a week's delay, bringing more than a half-ton of meals and special treats to the astronauts who assisted in the high-flying feat.

With the smooth linkup, Orbital Sciences Corp. became only the second company to accomplish such a far-flung shipment.

The space station astronauts used their ship's huge robot arm to grab the Cygnus capsule, as the two vessels zoomed 260 miles above the Indian Ocean. "Everybody is just so excited," Mission Control radioed. Ground teams described the achievement as "epic" and "superb.'

" Orbital Sciences launched the Cygnus capsule on this test flight from Virginia on Sept. 18. It was supposed to reach the space station last Sunday, but got held up by inaccurate navigation data. A software patch fixed everything.

Then the Cygnus had to wait for a Russian spacecraft bringing three new astronauts in midweek. The successful arrival means the Virginia-based company can begin making good on a $1.9 billion contract with NASA for a series of Cygnus deliveries.

The next one could fly by Christmas. Applause could be heard in Mission Control once Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano grabbed hold of Cygnus with the space station's hulking mechanical arm. "Good capture.

 That's a long time coming," Mission Control radioed. "Smiles all around," added Orbital Sciences in a tweet. Sunday's successful operation culminated years of effort for Orbital Sciences, which was hired by NASA along with the California-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp. to keep the space station well stocked in this post-shuttle era.

SpaceX has been launching its supply ships, called Dragon, for more than a year. It's also working on a possible manned capsule that would ferry U.S. astronauts to the space station, rather than having them hitch rides on Russian rockets.

Unlike the SpaceX Dragon that can return items to Earth, the Cygnus is designed to burn up upon descent. Once unloaded of its 1,300 pounds worth of food, clothes and other items, it will be filled with trash and cut loose toward the end of October.

 That's how the Russian, European and Japanese supply ships end up as well: self-destructing garbage cans. The latest delivery included student experiments and, almost certainly, chocolate for the six-person crew.

That's what astronaut Karen Nyberg was expecting, anyway, from her astronaut-husband and 3-year-old son. Following the early morning capture, the astronauts worked to install Cygnus — named after the swan constellation — on the space station.

The hatch opening was set for early Monday. Both Parmitano and Mission Control paid tribute to the late astronaut for whom the Cygnus is dedicated: G. David Low. Low flew three times on space shuttles, then went to work for Orbital Sciences to help in this new commercial space effort.

He died of cancer in 2008 at age 52. His family attended the Cygnus launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility.

Four years ago, about 100 melon-headed whales mysteriously entered a shallow lagoon system in northwest Madagascar and became stranded. Now scientists say the creatures' demise was likely brought on by sonar used to map the ocean floor for ExxonMobil. Previous research has suggested that sonar can be harmful to marine mammals.

The underwater noise can mask the calls of dolphins and whales and scare them away from their feeding grounds. Naval exercises using sonar have been linked to a 2008 stranding of at least 60 dolphins along the coast of Cornwall, England.

But researchers say the new findings from Madagascar mark the first time a marine mammal mass stranding has been closely tied to high-frequency sonar mapping. [Whale Album: Giants of the Deep] From May to June 2008, about 100 melon-headed whales (Peponocephala electra) swam into Madagascar's shallow, tidal Loza Lagoon system, a highly unusually environment for the toothed whales, which usually stick to the open ocean.

An independent review panel made up of five scientists considered a wide range of possible explanations for the mass stranding, including disease, toxins, vessel strikes, storm conditions and unusual acoustic events.

The panel wrote in their newly published report that on May 29, 2008, a day before the first stranding occurred, a survey vessel contracted by ExxonMobil Exploration and Production (Northern Madagascar) had been using a high-power 12 kHz multi-beam echosounder system to map the ocean floor about 40 miles (65 kilometers) offshore.

Multibeam sonars send out sound waves in a fan shape beneath a ship's hull to produce a map of the seafloor. The 12 kHz sonar emitted by the survey vessel is within the frequency of best hearing sensitivity for melon-headed whales, the panel wrote. But these sounds at the 120-decibel level would be well above the hearing threshold the whales.

The scientists concluded that the sonar mapping was the most "plausible and likely behavioral trigger for the animals initially entering the lagoon system."

"Implications go well beyond the hydrocarbon industry, as these sonar systems are widely used aboard military and research vessels for generating more precise bathymetry (underwater mapping)," Howard Rosenbaum, director of the Ocean Giants program for the Wildlife Conservation Society, said in a statement.

"We now hope that these results will be used by industry, regulatory authorities, and others to minimize risks and to better protect marine life, especially marine mammal species that are particularly sensitive to increasing ocean noise from human activities," Rosenbaum said.

ExxonMobil, meanwhile, disputed the findings. "ExxonMobil believes the panel's finding about the multi-beam echo sounder is unjustified due to the lack of certainty of information and observations recorded during the response efforts in 2008," Patrick McGinn, a spokesman for the .

Goosefish, also known as monkfish, may be among the most aesthetically challenged creatures around, but when the homely bottom-feeders lay their eggs, they create something beautiful: a gauzy, billowy veil that drifts in the ocean for days.

 On Monday afternoon (Sept. 23), a female monkfish at the New England Aquarium in Boston laid her third egg veil this year.

 The veil looks something like a 60-foot-long (18 meters) sheet of delicate bubble wrap, covered in about a million pinhead-sized eggs waiting to be fertilized. [See Images of the Goosefish's Amazing Egg Veil] "In the wild, when the female is swimming around releasing the egg veil, the male is swimming around her and as they intertwine, the male releases its sperm," aquarist Bill Murphy, of New England Aquarium, told LiveScience.

 The aquarium's female fish doesn't have a male counterpart, so these eggs won't result in any offspring. (Murphy said he tried putting two of the fish in one tank before, but they are a solitary, predatory species, and the pairing didn't work out.)

For now, visitors will be able to see veil float around in the goosefish's tank until it starts to rot. Murphy said he didn't catch the veil-laying on Monday, but in the weeks leading up to the moments-long event, there are usually signs that a sheet of eggs is coming — namely, the fish starts looking bloated.

 "She looks huge, like she swallowed a beach ball," Murphy said. Monkfish are anglerfish that sit, partially buried, at the bottom of the ocean, attracting prey with a lure in the form of a flap of skin that looks like a small fish, Murphy said.

When its victim is close enough, the monkfish opens its big mouth suddenly, creating a vacuum to suck in its prey.

 The fish can grow to be more than 5 feet long (1.5 meters) and are found throughout New England, at depths ranging from 10 feet to 200 feet (3 to 60 m).

Monkfish can also be found on dinner plates, and are sometimes nicknamed "the poor man's lobster" because of their muscular tails.

Peshawar (Pakistan)  - A car bomb killed at least 39 people on Sunday in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar, officials said, the third deadly strike to hit the city in a week.

The bomb caused carnage in the busy Kissa Khwani market in the city, the gateway to tribal regions which are a stronghold of militants linked to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

"The blast killed at least 39 people," top local administration official Sahebzada Muhammad Anis . A senior official at Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital, Dr Arshad Javaid, confirmed the new death toll and said 91 people were still in hospital after several of the injured were treated and sent home.

 The dead included eight women and six children aged five to nine. The bomb went off near a police station but officials said it did not appear to have been the target.

 "It looks like the market was the target," said bomb disposal chief Shafqat Malik. He told  a car parked by the roadside had apparently been converted into a remote-controlled bomb. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is in New York for the UN General Assembly, strongly condemned the blast.

"Those involved in the killing of innocent people are devoid of humanity and all religions," he said in comments released by his office.

The blast caused major destruction, toppling a two-storey building and gutting several shops, reporter at the scene saw. Thick grey clouds engulfed the entire area after several shops caught fire. At least 50 shops were either damaged or completely destroyed.

Human limbs, blood, broken glass, stationery, blood-soaked clothes and sandals littered the road. Rescuers pulled several bodies from a passenger minivan which was passing the explosives-laden vehicle when it exploded.

Officials said the 13 minivan passengers were members of the same family. "They had come to Peshawar from Shabqadar town for shopping ahead of my daughter's wedding," a family elder Sartaj Khan told .

Officials and rescue workers were collecting body parts and bodies and putting them in ambulances for over an hour after the blast.

"I was standing in front of a shop to buy ice cream for my ailing nephew who was with me when a deafening explosion rocked the entire area," Muhammad Sajjad, 26, who works in Saudi Arabia as a labourer,  in the hospital.

"The explosion was so intense that it threw me and my nephew a few metres, injuring both of us," said Khan, who escaped with a minor head injury. Weeping relatives of the dead and injured gathered at the hospital as rescuers brought in bodies or small bundles of human remains.

Muhammad Wajih, 40,  he was repairing a customer's watch at his shop when there was a huge blast. "Half of the face of my customer, who was standing just in front of my shop, blew up while several stray splinters hit his back," said Wajih, who was himself unhurt.

On Sunday last week a twin suicide attack at a Peshawar church killed 82 people, triggering nationwide protests by the Christian community and others demanding better protection for minorities.

On Friday a bomb tore through a bus carrying government employees on the edge of Peshawar, killing 18 people. Peshawar is the gateway of the semi-autonomous tribal belt that US officials consider a safe haven for Al-Qaeda and other insurgents fighting both in Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan.

 The umbrella Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan faction has led a bloody campaign against the Pakistani state in recent years, carrying out hundreds of attacks on security forces and government targets.

 Two weeks ago Pakistan's main political parties backed the prospect of peace talks with the militants, an idea floated several times by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

But a series of attacks since then, including the killing of a senior army commander, have led many to question the strategy. Pakistan is on the frontlines of the US-led war on Al-Qaeda. Since July 2007 it has also been gripped by a local Taliban-led insurgency, concentrated largely in the northwest.

A US drone strike in the Dargamandi area of the North Waziristan tribal region killed three militants on Sunday, officials said. "A US drone fired two missiles on a militant compound, killing three rebels," a senior security official  on condition of anonymity.

The area targeted by the drone is said to be the stronghold of Afghanistan's Haqqani network, a guerrilla faction linked to the Taliban.

Do you hear phantom smartphone ringing? Does a blinking light send your pulse through the roof? Do you feel anxious if you go 15 minutes without checking your email? It may be time for an e-tox break. We’re not talking about putting your phone down while eating a sandwich. Sometimes you need a dining experience or an afternoon escape sans tweeting or a real vacation in a place where getting online is simply impossible. Here are 10 great spots to unplug.

Green Bank, W.Va. 

Home of the Green Bank Telescope and housed within the National Radio Quiet Zone, Green Bank has made it illegal to use your cellphone and Wi-Fi. The reason for this ban dates back to the 1950s, long before cellphones were ever a concern to its founders. Initially, this area was selected because it is naturally sheltered from television and radio signals by the Alleghany Mountains. Since the Green Bank Telescope is a radio telescope, it requires as little interference as possible to receive signals from distant worlds. Due to its lack of radio frequencies, people who suffer from electromagnetic hypersensitivity (negative effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields) often visit. So if you love space or just want a break from your phone, visit Green Bank, where the Green Bank Science Center offers tours, activities, and events under the stars -- all without any interruption.

More: Are Windows 8 Touch Laptops Bad For Your Health?

Isle Royale, Mich. 

Isle Royale, found on northern Lake Superior, is a wonderful destination for those looking for sailing, hiking, adventure and phone service that is “limited to one credit card operated satellite phone,” according to the National Park Service. The 3-hour ferry ride to make landfall is a journey in itself, setting visitors up for a place where trees and tents are far more common than tablets and smartphones. If you’d rather a room than a camp site, consider staying at the Rock Harbor Lodge, where numerous reviewers on TripAdvisor.com have noted the lack of not just cell service, but Internet or television service as well.

More: Help Me, LAPTOP: International Business Traveller Seeking Productivity Notebook

Rogue 24, Washington, D.C. 

“Wow, that dinner was really worth the contract I signed” is not a comment you will often hear unless you are in the Washington, D.C. area. If you are, the person saying it likely just finished a meal at Rogue 24, which offers a multicourse dinner menu, stylish décor and a dining contract asking patrons to “refrain from the use of cell phones” in the dining area. While the restaurant receives mixed reviews on Yelp, it does offer a dining experience that allows you to enjoy your dinner in peace. If that sounds like a nice night out, feel free to check out the revised contract posted by DC Eater, which also contains a cancellation policy in a very official and legal-looking document.

More: iPhone 6 Features: What We Want From Apple

The Grand Canyon 

One of the most popular domestic vacations for families in the United States is the Grand Canyon, ranking just behind Honolulu in a US News article published this summer. Many will go for the beautiful sites, the numerous adventures, or just the experience of being there. However, if you want to photograph your experience and upload it to Instagram, you’ll have to wait. While the south rim gets decent reception, once you move into the canyon itself, there is little to no reception, according to Frommers. Visitors can enter the interior of the canyon by hiking, rafting or taking a mule ride. Once there, spending either the day or the night are both options. Out of 31 reviews on TripAdvisor, 29 give the experience 5 stars, so chances are you will enjoy the experience.

More: 10 Most Stylish Laptop Bags for Women

Death Valley, Calif. If wildlife, backpacking and bird watching all sound like exciting activities, check out Death Valley. You’ll have little to no contact with the world besides emergency phones. NPS.org definitively states that “cell phones do not work in Death Valley” so unless you have a satellite phone with a data plan, you won’t be checking Twitter or your email as long as you’re there. Instead, stop at Zabriskie Point, which may look familiar to ‘80s pop/rock fans; U2 used this as their shooting location for the Joshua Tree album cover. It is also a popular spot for amateur photographers, who enjoy the scenic view of the canyons, mountains and badlands located within the park.

More: 12 Best Music Apps

Minus5 Ice Bar, New York City 

Minus5 is quickly becoming one of the most popular bars to visit both in Las Vegas and New York City. Just don’t say it’s a “hot” location; the entire bar and lounge is made of ice. Even the glasses and couches are chiseled out of ice. However, if you want to check in on FourSquare, you better do so outside. Once you enter the building, you are brought into a room where you are given a parka, mittens and a locker for your cellphone. The bar area of Minus5 strictly prohibits any electronics that may emit heat because they can melt the ice. A picture to remember the experience will run you $20 because only an employed photographer is allowed to use a camera.

More: 3 Tips to Keep Your Privacy on Foursquare

 Shambhala Ranch, Ukiah, Calif. 

The term “digital detox,” or the decision to take a break from electronics, started entering people’s vernacular at the beginning of this decade. From families looking to spend quality time together to workaholics and the tech obsessed, this practice is becoming extremely popular. Some decide to take a break for a week by heading to the well-publicized Shambhala Ranch retreat in Ukiah, which promotes yoga and meditation over “no boss” and “no cell phone.” Others opt for a couple nights in a hotel offering a “digital detox package” like the one offered by the Renaissance Hotel in Pittsburgh. No matter which option you choose, exchanging smartphones and laptops for playing cards and board games gives participants a chance to drop off the grid and connect with others face-to-face, not on FaceTime.

More: 15 Amazing Smart Home Gadgets

Perry’s Deli, Chicago, Ill. 

If the “no cell phone” signs don’t discourage you from using your cellphone within one of Chicago’s most famous sandwich shops, Perry’s Deli, perhaps the alarm will. If you happen to be caught on your cellphone within the restaurant, a siren will go off, alerting all other patrons that you’re the one breaking the no cellphone rule. It would seem that visitors are taking the ban seriously, because, according to Yelp’s reviews, you don’t see many people on their phone. So while you technically can receive a signal while having your sandwich, why would you want to risk the humiliation?

More: 6 Tips to Use Instagram Like a Pro

Enchantment Resort, Sedona, Ariz.

 The Enchantment Resort is one of the highest-rated hotels in Sedona, offering guests breathtaking views, a luxurious spa, beautiful hotel rooms, great dining experiences and an extremely limited cellphone signal, if any at all. Based on the TripAdvisor.com reviews, guests either enjoy or despise the lack of cell coverage, and comment that even the Wi-Fi offered just doesn’t cut it. The same can be said for much of Sedona, where reception and data coverage are spotty at best. So if the Enchantment Resort doesn’t sound like your idea of a perfect getaway, get in touch with or research other hotels and activities in the area; they, too, will likely offer a break from your phone for a while.

More: 9 Tips to Stay Safe on Public Wi-Fi

Westminster Presbyterian Church, Burbank, Calif. 

In case you already did not know that you should not be using your phone during religious gatherings, the Westminster Presbyterian Church has made it extremely clear. A hilarious YouTube video has gone viral, featuring the church’s cellphone policy. If a patron’s phone goes off during announcements, it’s a $25 fine. During prayer concerns, get ready to dole out an extra $50. Above all else, you should absolutely make sure your phone is off during the sermon, or else you will face consequences not seen yet on our list. If you are using your phone during the service, be prepared for spontaneous combustion and a trip to hell. This makes the siren at Perry’s Deli look like a minor inconvenience. While the video is clearly satire, it serves as a reminder that an hour break from your phone isn’t a lot to ask.

More: 10 Amazingly Dumb Things We Do with Smartphones

The biggest active volcano in the world is a towering stack of lava layers laid down over a million years, a new study finds. The research could help solve a long-standing debate over how Hawaii's volcanic islands formed.

According to the study, the massive volcanoes on Hawaii's Big Island grew layer by layer, like a giant stack of lava crepes. The discovery counters a popular model that proposes the island's bulk is mostly cooled magma, frozen in place inside the volcano before erupting.

"The islands have formed primarily through lava flows, not internal emplacement of magma, as previously thought," said Ashton Flinders, lead study author and a graduate student with joint appointments at the University of Rhode Island and the University of New Hampshire.

Hawaii's Big Island is home to five massive volcanoes. The tallest active volcano on the island is Mauna Loa, which rises 13,678 feet (4,169 meters) above the ocean surface. With its height measured from the seafloor, Mauna Loa even stretches above Mount Everest, reaching 30,080 feet (9,168 m). [5 Colossal Cones: Biggest Volcanoes on Earth] Tiny changes in Earth's gravity revealed Hawaii's hidden, layered structure. Fluctuations in the gravity field reflect changes in mass.

 The densest rocks have the strongest pull, and gravity-sensing instruments can detect these subtle variations caused by denser or lighter rocks. Flinders and his colleagues used gravity data from a recent ship survey and older land surveys to estimate how much of the island was intrusive rock, which has a higher density than lava.

 The gravity data indicates Hawaii and Kauai are only 10 to 30 percent dense, intrusive rock, Flinders said. Previous studies had suggested that intrusions — magma that cools underground — accounted for 65 to 90 percent of the total volume of Hawaii.

The intrusive rock is likely molten magma that squeezed into Hawaii's rift zones, which are linear fractures that extend from the surface deep into the crust. The magma gets stuck and cools, helping the volcano grow in width, scientists think.

The rest of Hawaii — about 70 percent — built up slowly and steadily from lava flows. Researchers think the first lava punched through the seafloor sometime around 1 million years ago and that the island emerged from the sea about 400,000 years ago.

 Flinders said he sees other interesting details about the islands in the gravity data, the most detailed compilation produced in decades. There are signs of small volcanoes entombed beneath lava flows on the Hana Ridge offshore Maui.

The team may have even found a teeny, previously unrecognized volcano, which they named Uwapo, between Kauai and Oahu. Work is underway to determine if Uwapo is really a separate volcano, Flinders said. "

The debate is still out, but I'd say yes. I used the nature of its gravity field to argue that it appears to have a separate magmatic source than those volcanoes around it," Flinders said.

Infinity Pharmaceuticals Inc said its cancer drug failed to improve overall survival in a mid-stage study on patients with non-small cell lung cancer who had a history of smoking.

The drug, retaspimycin HCl, also failed to improve overall survival in patients with squamous cell carcinoma, a type of non-small cell lung cancer that is closely linked to smoking.

The company said it will not start any new trials with the drug, but would complete enrollment in a separate study by the end of the year.

 Infinity said it will now focus on developing IPI-145, which it is testing to treat advanced blood cancers, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

 The company tested retaspimycin HCl in combination with docetaxel, an approved cancer drug, comparing it with a combination of docetaxel and placebo in patients who failed to respond to prior treatment.

 Infinity said the safety of the drug plus docetaxel was comparable to docetaxel and placebo.

The company's fell nearly 2 percent to $17.99 in early trade on Wednesday.

Scuba divers are often amazed by the beauty of the reefs and their colorful inhabitants, and sometimes they’re even amused. That certainly was the case for Mauricio Handler and his wife, Julia, during their last adventure to the reefs of Curacao in the Caribbean.

 Among their many wonderful discoveries was that of a purple sea sponge that strongly resembled the famous Cookie Monster Muppet of “Sesame Street” fame.

 Handler said via email that he had initially swam past the peculiar-looking sponge, without noticing it among the many other sponges on the reef.


 But Julia came face to face with what the Handlers now refer to as “The Cookie Monster of the Sea,” and could not contain her laughter.

 Cookie Monster image is via the Muppet’s Facebook page “It was Julia who went to get me, laughing through her mask about the unusual sponge,” Handler said.

“So I did an about-face and went straight to it, and worked the subject to light it perfectly to get as much personality out of the picture as possible.” It was a job well done by the photographer, who said the Cookie Monster was actually three tube sponges that had fused together over time.

 (Sea sponges, while they may appear to be plant-like, are actually multi-cellular animals that attach to the sea floor, or to reefs, and feed by filtering particles from currents.)

 “I could not believe the fact that this was so unusual—so unique and humorous,” added Handler, who was shooting with a Nikon D3 DSLR, and a Nikon 105 macro lens.

 The Cookie Monster of the Sea, which was featured earlier this week by the Daily Mail, is about three feet tall and located off Westpunt in northwest Curacao. It cannot speak, obviously, but Sesame Street fans might imagine what it would be saying if it could: “Me want cookie!”

UNITED NATIONS — The Iranian president's first speech to world leaders was absent anti-Israel rhetoric and offered up negotiations with the U.S. and its allies over the disputed nuclear program, showing a more moderate face of the hard-line regime in Tehran.

However, Iranian President Hasan Rouhani also took repeated digs at America and the West on Tuesday, much like those that were staples of his predecessor's annual messages to the United Nations General Assembly. Rouhani's speech signaled Iran's return to a more measured, if still resolute, approach in its foreign policy even as it delivered a reality check that diplomatic warming will not come quickly or easily.

Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, said he did not think Rouhani's speech was conciliatory. But his predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "set an incredibly low bar for dignified behavior" and Rouhani delivered a less polarizing, less divisive speech, he said.

"Given how vitriolic that Ahmadinejad's language was, in contrast he certainly appears as a moderate," Sadjadpour said. Rouhani even went a step further in an interview with CNN airing on Wednesday, saying "the crime the Nazis created toward the Jews is reprehensible and condemnable."

 Ahmadinejad, in contrast, once called the Holocaust a "myth" and later said more research was needed to determine whether it had really happened. And while Rouhani briefly touched on what he described as Palestine's depravation and subjugation, he also ended his speech with a reference not only to the Quran and Bible, but also the Torah.

 Israel, however, was not pacified. The Israeli delegation walked out of his speech, and Israeli Minister for Strategic and Intelligence Affairs Yuval Steinitz called his rhetoric a "game of deception." "Rouhani came here today in order to cheat the world," Steinitz told reporters in a hastily organized news conference at the U.N. after the speech.

"And unfortunately many people are willing to be cheated." But in a text message statement sent to reporters, Finance Minister Yair Lapid said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's instruction to Israeli delegates to walk out was a "mistake," saying it created the impression that Israel was not interested in encouraging a peaceful solution to Iran's suspect nuclear program.

The day began with breathless speculation that America and Iran would start to bury decades of suspicion and animosity with a handshake and an exchange of pleasantries if they crossed paths inside the U.N. But the euphoria was fading by midday, when Rouhani skipped a lunch where he could have greeted President Barack Obama.

He may have passed on lunch because alcohol was being served — something that could have been shameful for the devout Muslim back home. Rouhani spoke just hours after Obama also addressed the General Assembly.

 The American leader spoke of the years of isolation between the two nations since the 1979 Iranian revolution that spurred the storming of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Obama said he needs proof of Iran's goodwill before the U.S. would be willing to shift its tough stance against the country's nuclear program, a reference to harsh sanctions that Washington has imposed.

While Ahmadinejad had insisted that Iran continued to flourish despite the punishing Western sanctions, Rouhani called them "violent" and said they violated human rights. Iran is seeking relief from the sanctions at nuclear negotiations. Experts said Rouhani's speech may have marked a return to the subtle rapprochement of former Iranian Presidents Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and particularly Mohammad Khatami.

 Standoffs with the West over nuclear activities and Syria now stand as key tests of whether relations will improve. World powers for years have tried to curb Tehran's nuclear program to prevent Iran from being able to build a bomb.

But Iran insists its program is peaceful, and has long demanded the world recognize its right under international treaties to enrich uranium — a process that can be used to produce fuel for nuclear weapons or nuclear energy.

 Rouhani said Iran is prepared to immediately engage in nuclear negotiations on condition that the world acknowledge it has the right to enrich uranium. He said all nations — and not just Iran — should publicly commit to building nuclear programs for peaceful purposes only.

Israel's Steinitz said in reality, little has changed in Iran since Rouhani was elected in June. "Not even one centrifuge was stopped," he said, referring to Iran's enrichment of uranium. On Syria, Rouhani repeated Iran's condemnation of the use of chemical weapons.

But he said the greatest danger to the Mideast would be for chemical weapons to fall into the hands of extremists and terror groups, and said any negotiated disarmament plan in Syria would have to prevent that.

The Syrian regime frequently refers to the opposition as terrorists. The U.S., France and Britain accuse Assad's regime of launching an Aug. 21 chemical attack on the Damascus suburb that killed more than 1,000 people.

Iran is considered Syria's main benefactor, and Tehran has been a lifeline for the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad in its 2½ year sectarian civil war with opposition rebels. Western officials are hoping Iran will play a role in ending the Syrian war.

And Rouhani appeared willing to sanction Iran's participation in negotiations for a peace settlement in Syria, French officials said. That could put more pressure on Assad. Obama said it was unrealistic to expect that the U.S. and Iran would see eye-to-eye any time soon or easily bridge the chasms between them.

"I don't believe this difficult history can be overcome overnight — the suspicions run too deep," he said. "But I do believe that if we can resolve the issue of Iran's nuclear program, that can serve as a major step down a long road toward a different relationship, one based on mutual interests and mutual respect."

Neither Obama nor Rouhani attended each other's speech. But Rouhani said he had followed Obama's words and was confident the two nations can manage their differences.

 "There is no issue or dossier that cannot be resolved through reliance on hope and prudent moderation, mutual respect, and rejection of violence and extremism," Rouhani said. In Iran, most newspapers gave ringing approval to Rouhani's speech, and some lavished rare praise on Obama for acknowledging the religious edict, or fatwa, against nuclear weapons by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni.

But some hard-line media claimed that Obama's more diplomatic-minded approach was the result of Iran's resistance to sanctions. "Historic proposal" was the headline in Etemad daily, a reference to Rouhani's proposal to "manage differences with the U.S."

It also said there was a "change in Obama's tone" toward Iran in response to Rouhani's outreach. But the hard-line daily Jomhuri-e-Eslami highlighted Obama's pledge that the U.S. is not after "regime change" in Iran.

Chin Peng’s date of death on Malaysia Day had been faked so it would be remembered as a memorable event, Mingguan Malaysia alleged today, claiming the former Communist leader had actually died a day before the national holiday.

uoting an anonymous source, the weekend edition of Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia reported that Chin Peng had indeed breathed his last in Bangkok, Thailand, but did so on the evening of September 15, and not in the early morning of September 16 as reported.

“It is believed that the Monday date was chosen so that Chin Peng would be remembered by his supporters as dying on an important day for all Malaysians, who were celebrating the birth of Malaysia,” the source said.

“We got information that this was an agenda planned by certain parties, who supposedly wanted to link Chin Peng’s death to nationalism,” the source told the Malay-language daily.

News of Chin Peng’s death first broke on Bangkok Post on September 16, with the Thai news portal reporting that he was pronounced dead at 6.20 am and that he had died of old age in a Bangkok hospital. Chin Peng, whose real name was Ong Boon Hua, was 88 years old.

 The former secretary-general of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) had left a farewell note, in which he expressed his regret in being an absent father to his children. Putrajaya has insisted on prohibiting the ashes of Chin Peng from being buried in his hometown in Sitiawan, Perak.

 But the MCA, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and even former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Mohd Noor have told the federal government to respect the 1989 Hat Yai Peace Accord signed between Malaysia, Thailand and the CPM that allowed CPM members, who laid down their arms, to return to their homeland.

 Abdul Rahim, who was then the Special Branch chief that led the peace talks between Malaysia and the CPM in the late 1980s, said Malaysia risked becoming a laughing stock to the world if it insisted on barring the burial of Chin Peng’s remains here.

Our search for youth and beauty knows no bounds. Just recently we learned about a face cream made from snail slime. And in March, Kim Kardashian posted a selfie on Instagram undergoing still another trendy facial called vampire therapy. Now, you, too can be a bloody mess like Kim. Online shopping site Ensogo has just offered the service for P5999, which it says is is 61% off the regular price.

Takers to date: 4

What is vampire therapy?

 Vampire therapy, which is more accurately called platelet-rich plasma (PRP), is a relatively new technology first introduced in 1999. This technology works on the theory that platelet-rich plasma has a high concentration of growth factors that promote healing, tissue repair and remodeling. PRP was first popularized by physicians in search for a biological or more natural way of treating arthritis and joint injuries.

How it works


 Kim Kardashian Instagrams her vampire facial. (Photo from Kim Kardashian's Instagram) The first step in the procedure is the extraction of a patient's blood. The sample is then spun in a machine for about 10 minutes to harvest the platelets. The resulting platelet-rich fluid is then reinjected in the specific area of concern of the patient. The entire procedure takes about 30 minutes. The term "vampire therapy" must have been coined due to the act of sucking out one's blood as a source of treatment.

Vampire therapy also used for hair loss 

With the background of tissue healing and rejuvenation, PRP is not only used for sports and joint injuries. Dermatologists and aesthetic specialists have also jumped into the bandwagon. In fact, one cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Charles Runels from Alabama, has patented the term "Vampire Facelift" as his exclusive trademark.

PRP is now being used for hair loss, facelifts, anti-wrinkles, anti-stretch marks and just about any part of the body where the patient wants to delay or turn back the signs of aging.

Says Dr. Alan Matarasso, a clinical professor of plastic surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, "Unlike fillers that use various synthetic substances, PRP uses the patient's natural biology to address skin defects and volume loss, triggering production of new cells and collagen formation."

The skeptics 

But not everybody is fully convinced that PRP is the new fountain of youth. They are still waiting for more proof. Rocco Monto, a private medical practitioner from Massachusetts, observes, "Many believe PRP is the first effective biologic treatment, which is why people are talking about it, debating it, and studying it so much."

There are some, however, who are more strongly against PRP. Dr. Stephen Weber, an orthopedic surgeon from the Sacramento Knee and Sports Medicine in California believes that "having desperate patients is no reason for a routine recommendation of an unproven technology."

He says, "Patients will believe anybody who comes along and tells them a product will improve their performance ( or appearance ).

 They will take it, whether it is good or bad for their health. This is what this plasma business is about right now, but there are very few data. Most of the people who are taking PRP are athletes. There is no science behind it yet."

A relic hunter dubbed 'Indiana Bones' has lifted the lid on a macabre collection of 400-year-old jewel-encrusted skeletons unearthed in churches across Europe.

Art historian Paul Koudounaris has hunted down and photographed dozens of gruesome skeletons in some of the world's most secretive religious establishments.

Incredibly, some of the skeletons, which took up to five years to decorate, were even found hidden away in lock-ups and containers.

They are now the subject of his latest book, which sheds light on the forgotten ornamented relics for the first time.

Karl Lagerfeld sent models including Cara Delevingne and Georgia Jagger down the Fendi runway at Milan Fashion Week wearing black wigs that were half Erin O'Conner, half frayed mop.

 So since everything Karl touches has a tendency to take-off (remember how we all thought the Chanel Hula Hoop bag would never make it off the runway?), we're asking you right now what you make of it.

 Before it has the chance to be photographed well, before a celeb has the chance to make it look effortless and before, god forbid, once of us commits to 'trying something new' without crowd sourcing an opinion first.

So, would you rock that look? Cara looks okay we guess, pfft. But Georgia there, who is so naturally gorgeous we sometimes give her picture evil stares, does appear to be struggling with the look. Reckon you'd be brave enough? Even if it is coming from Karl?

Thailand's iconic "Temple of Dawn" on the banks of Bangkok's Chao Phraya river is to undergo a three-year renovation costing around $4 million, authorities said Friday.

Wat Arun, one of the kingdom's most famous landmarks, known for the morning light reflecting off its porcelain-encrusted surfaces, will remain open to visitors during the overhaul, according to officials. "We will not close it all.

The repairs will start in some parts only," a senior monk at the temple, Phra Sri Suthi Wethee, told AFP. "Tourists can still come. We haven't closed the big stupa yet." Work on the central tower -- built in the first half of the 19th century -- will start in 2015, according to Tharapong Srisuchat, a senior official at the Ministry of Culture.

"We cannot put all the scaffolding up at the same time or tourists will be disappointed," he said. Tharapong estimated that it will take about a year to renovate the Khmer-style central stupa.

The budget for the project, which will start this month, is 130 million baht ($4.2 million), he added. "The maintenance cycle is usually 25-30 years but it's shortening because of increased pollution and more severe changes in the weather," Tharapong said.

He said the work at the temple -- which was last renovated in 1996 -- would include repairing cracks, removing mould and replacing damaged tiles.

Pengarah terkenal, Yusry Abdul Halim kecewa apabila karya terbarunya "Vikingdom: The Blood Eclipse" telah disamakan dengan filem yang menghina Nabi Muhammad "Innocence of Muslims" oleh seorang lelaki yang menggelar dirinya sebagai pakar mitos Scandinavia zaman pra-Kristian.

"Jika seseorang yang membaca ulasan tersebut dan tidak memahami situasi sebenar ia boleh mendatangkan masalah lain dan menyebabkan saya dituduh sebagai orang yang menghina agama sendiri dan agama Kristian.

"Tindakan lelaki tersebut menyamakan filem "Vikingdom" dengan video "Innicence of Muslims" adalah satu perbuatan yang sangat-sangat melampau," ujarnya kepada mStar. Yusry, 39, turut memberitahu terdapat juga individu yang mendakwa dirinya sebagai pensyarah sebuah Universiti Loyola di Chicago mempersoal pembikinan filem itu yang didakwa memaparkan dewa Viking sebagai penakluk dan bukannya Thor.

"Ingin saya tegaskan di sini, filem ini hanyalah fantasi dan bukannya diolah daripada sejarah sebenar. Malah mereka (Barat) sendiri tidak tahu sama ada mitos tentang Viking dan Thor ini benar-benar wujud atau pun tidak.

"Belum ada pihak yang mengecam mana-mana penerbit atau pengarah yagn menukar versi asal sesuatu cerita mitos di barat dan saya tidak faham kenapa saya dihentam. Adakah kerana saya beragama Islam isu itu dibangkitkan?"

 Dalam pada itu, Yusry berakata dia melihat kontroversi yang dicetuskan itu mampu memberi kebaikan kepada filem tersebut yang bakal ditayangkan di 10 buah negara termasuk Amerika Syarikat bermula 4 September.

Pelakon jelita, Tasha Shilla terkejut apabila mendapat tahu berita yang mendakwa dia dan pemain bola sepak kebangsaan, Mahali Jasuli ditangkap khalwat baru-baru ini. "Saya terkejut bila dapat tahu gosip saya dan Mahali ditangkap khalwat seperti yang disebarkan pihak tertentu.

Saya dapat tahu khabar angin itu bila ada peminat yang bertanya sendiri kesahihan mengenai gosip tersebut di Twitter," katanya kepada Harian Metro.

Namun pelakon berusia 26 tahun itu enggan ambil peduli kerana tahu cerita itu tidak betul dan ada orang yang cuba mengada-adakan cerita untuk menjejaskan nama baiknya dan keluarga. "Saya beritahu Mahali, mengenai gosip itu, tetapi sebaliknya dia berasa simpati bila nama saya dikaitkan dengan itu.

"Kenapa mereka tidak bertanya sendiri dengan pejabat agama sama ada betul atau tidak saya dan Mahali yang ditangkap khalwat. "Nasib baik keluarga saya faham dan tahu di mana saya berada ketika itu. Terus-terang, setiap kali habis penggambaran, saya terus balik rumah untuk bersama keluarga.

" Dalam pada itu, Tasha enggan mengulas lanjut mengenai hubungannya dengan Mahali kerana tidak mahu hubungan mereka disensasikan hingga boleh menjejaskan prestasi bola sepaknya.

"Pada masa sama, Mahali masih muda, baru 23 tahun. Dia ada misi untuk meningkatkan lagi kariernya itu. Justeru, saya tidak boleh terima bila orang menuduh saya antara menjadi punca prestasinya menurun."

Jangan sangka kerana sesebuah filem itu diterima ramai, ia bermaksud filem tersebut filem yang bagus, dan jangan pula sangka filem yang tidak laris di panggung itu bermakna filem tersebut tidak berkualiti.

Adakalanya apa yang disukai dan apa yang berkualiti tidak berada di tahap yang sama. Adakalanya filem yang tidak bagus mendapat sambutan ramai kerana ia mempersembahkan apa yang umum mahukan tapi tidak cukup berkualiti sehingga golongan pengkritik mahu menerimanya, sementara yang berkualiti pula ditolak kerana menyampaikan sesuatu yang anda tidak mahu fikirkan tapi dianggap pengkritik sebagai filem yang inovatif atau mempunyai mesej unik yang ingin disampaikan.

Antara contoh filem teruk yang laris dan filem bagus yang gagal di pawagam termasuk:

Filem teruk yang berjaya mendapat kutipan pecah panggung: 

Stars Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Filem prekuel "Star Wars" ini berjaya menjana AS$475 juta (RM1.55 billion) melalui kutipan pecah panggung apabila ia ditayangkan pada Mei 1999. Sekalipun dengan jumlah yang begitu hebat, perkara yang sama tidak boleh dikatakan tentang penerimaan penonton dan para pengkritik.

Bukan sahaja trilogi awal Lucas ini dianggap membosankan, "The Phantom Menace" dianggap sebagai filem "Star Wars" yang paling teruk, dengan kewujudan karakter yang menjengkelkan seperti Jar Jar Binks dan Anakin Skywalker itu sendiri.

The Twilight Saga: 

New Moon (2009) Siri novelnya menerima kritikan hebat. Plotnya dipersoalkan. Moral ceritanya ditolak oleh sebahagian besar orang ramai yang merasakan kisah percintaan pontianak ini tidak mengajar gadis remaja untuk menjadi wanita yang lebih berdikari.

Apabila filemnya ditayangkan, kritikan tersebut menjadi lebih hebat, apatah lagi dengan lakonan Kristen Stewart dan Robert Pattinson yang dianggap tidak berkesan. Filem seterusnya, "New Moon" yang ditayangkan pada tahun 2009 menjadi bahan kutukan yang lebih hebat kerana menonjolkan watak Bella Swan sebagai gadis remaja yang mudah terpengaruh dan tidak tahu apa yang dia perlukan. Malah hampir 40 minit dari filem tersebut dipenuhi babak Bella menangis dan bersedih. Namun begitu, filem tersebut berjaya meraih AS$296 juta (RM965 juta), dan itu baru di Amerika saja! Jelas sekali, walaupun ia menjadi bahan kritikan dan ejekan orang dewasa, para peminat remaja "Twilight" lebih berkuasa.

Pirates of the Caribbean:On Stranger Tides (2011) 

 Ya, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" merupakan sebuah filem pecah panggung, apatah lagi bila sudah lama filem berunsur lanun tidak diterbitkan. Ia menaikkan lagi populariti Johnny Depp di mata dunia, dan menjadikan Jack Sparrow watak ikonik.

Namun selepas tiga buah filem, pihak Disney mahukan keuntungan yang lebih lagi. Sekalipun Orlando Bloom dan Keira Knightley, dua dari pelakon utama trilogi asal enggan kembali untuk filem keempat, persetujuan Johnny Depp dianggap sebagai satu petanda bahawa filem keempat harus dihasilkan!

Ya, filem tersebut berjaya meraih kutipan pecah panggung sebanyak AS$241 juta (RM786 juta) di AS ketika ditayangkan pada tahun 2011, tapi dari sudut kualiti, filem tersebut berada di tahap yang agak teruk. Ramai yang sudah mula bosan dengan telatah Jack yang sudah jadi makin menjengkelkan berbanding lucu, plot cerita yang membabitkan lanun legenda, Blackbeard terlalu remeh jika dibanding dengan antagonis Davy Jones dalam filem kedua, dan 'love interest' Jack Sparrow lakonan Penelope Cruz dianggap agak berlebihan.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) 

 Ramai yang ternanti-nantikan filem "Transformers" ketika Steven Spielberg mengumumkan bahawa mereka bakal menerbitkan animasi dan permainan tersebut ke layar lebar. Hasilnya? Sebuah filem hebat yang berjaya mengungguli carta Top 10 filem tahun 2007.

Namun begitu, nampaknya pihak studio dan pengarahnya Michael Bay tidak sabar hendak mengutip lebih banyak keuntungan, lalu menghasilkan sekuelnya, "Revenge of the Fallen" hanya dua tahun selepas filem pertama. Para peminat terus termakan umpan dan menyebabkan filem tersebut berjaya meraih AS$402 juta (RM1.3 billion) di AS.

Adakah filem sekuelnya sebaik yang pertama? Michael Bay dan Shia LaBeouf sendiri mengakui plot filem tersebut tidak masuk akal.

 Pearl Harbor (2001) 

 Ketika ia ditayangkan, Michael Bay berkata filem ini bakal menjadi "Titanic" yang kedua. Ia tidak berjaya sampai ke tahap itu, tapi masih mampu mendapatkan AS$198.5 juta (RM647 juta) selepas tayangannya di AS pada 2001.

Malangnya, "Pearl Harbor" tidak seperti judulnya langsung. Ia bukan benar-benar berkisar tentang pengeboman Pearl Harbor, tetapi hanya latar kepada kisah cinta tiga segi lakonan Kate Beckinsale, Ben Affleck dan Josh Hartnett. Bukan sahaja banyak kesilapan dari sudut teknikal dan sejarah Pearl Harbor untuk filem yang menggunakan nama pelabuhan tersebut, malah plot sebenarnya tentang cinta tiga segi itu pula tidak banyak berbeza dengan filem Bollywood, "Sangam" lakonan Raj Kapoor, Vyjayanthimala dan Rajendra Kumar yang ditayangkan 37 tahun sebelum itu!

Filem bagus yang gagal: 

The Insider (1999)

 Filem yang dibuat dengan bajet AS$90 juta (RM293 juta) ini hanya meraih AS$29.1 juta (RM98.5 juta) di Amerika dan AS$31.2 juta (RM101,7 juta) di seluruh dunia. Namun begitu, filem Michael Mann ini mendapat pujian menyeluruh dari para pengkritik filem yang menyukai cara Mann menterjemah watak-watak insan profesional yang kecewa menghadapi rasa bersalah dan paranoia.

Namun begitu, mungkin para peminat filem tidak berminat untuk menontonnya disebabkan filem tersebut berlatarkan kisah benar – yakni tentang seorang tukang adu industri bernama Jeffrey Wigand (lakonan Russell Crowe) yang dipengaruhi penerbit televisyen Lowel Bergman (lakonan Al Pacino) untuk muncul dalam rancangannya, "60 Minutes" di saluran CBS.

Walau apa pun, filem ini berjaya meraih tujuh pencalonan di Anugerah Academy 2000 termasuk Lakon Layar Terbaik, Filem Terbaik, Pengarah Terbaik dan Pelakon Lelaki Terbaik.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) 

 Sebuah lagi filem yang menerima tujuh pencalonan Oscar, "The Shawshank Redemption" yang diadaptasi dari novel mini karya Stephen King ini tidak berjaya menarik perhatian penonton ketika ia ditayangkan pada tahun 1994, malah hanya mampu meraih AS$28 juta (RM91.2 juta) di pawagam berbanding bajet produksi sebanyak AS$25 juta (RM81.5 juta).

Namun begitu, filem ini juga meraih tempat pertama dalam senarai Top 250 dalam carta IMDB, dan seringkali disebut sebagai filem terbaik pernah dihasilkan kerana kisahnya yang menyentuh hati, lakonan cemerlang dari barisan pelakon seperti Tim Robbins dan Morgan Freeman, plot cerita yang tidak membosankan malah runut bunyi yang hebat. Sehingga kini, ramai yang tidak mengerti kenapa filem ini gagal di pawagam ketika ia ditayangkan.

The Iron Giant (1999) 

 Filem animasi arahan Brad Bird ini diberi markah sebanyak 97 peratus di laman sesawang Rotten Tomatoes, malah Roger Ebert, pengkritik filem paling disegani di AS memuji filem ini kerana mempunyai mesej yang tersendiri, malah laman sesawang IGN menggelarnya "filem animasi bukan Disney terbaik".

Namun begitu, filem lakon suara Vin Diesel, Harry Connick Jr. dan Eli Marienthal ini gagal meraih kutipan cemerlang di pawagam, malah gagal, apabila ia hanya berjaya meraih lebih kurang AS$30 juta (RM97.8 juta) berbanding bajet yang dikeluarkan dianggarkan sebanyak AS$70 juta (RM228 juta). Ramai yang berpendapat kisah robot angkasa lepas yang hilang ingatan ini lebih difahami orang dewasa berbanding kanak-kanak dan tidak ada karakter comel yang boleh menarik perhatian.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World 

Entah di mana silapnya. Mungkin gaya penceritaannya yang eksentrik masih belum boleh diterima ramai, atau mungkin Michael Cera bukan bintang yang anda mahu lihat sebagai teraju utama. Namun begitu, filem yang diadaptasi dari novel grafik karya Bryan Lee O'Malley ini hanya berjaya memungut AS$47.6 juta (RM155 juta) berbanding bajet produksinya yang memakan lebih kurang AS$90 juta (RM293 juta) (AS$60 juta (RM195,5 juta) selepas pengecualian cukai).

Para penonton mungkin masih belum bersedia untuk filem yang seakan permainan video ini, namun begitu, ia mendapat sambutan hangat di kalangan pengkritik dan sebahagian peminat filem yang mungkin pernah membaca karya O'Malley atau sukakan kelainan. Atau ramai yang masih belum memahami filem bergenre ironi seperti filem ini. Namun begitu, filem arahan Edgar Wright ini mempunyai pengikutnya yang tersendiri sehingga kini.

Cloud Atlas (2012)

 "Membingungkan!" itu reaksi rata-rata penonton yang ke pawagam untuk menonton filem adaptasi novel pemenang anugerah karya David Mitchell ini. Akibat kebingungan itu dan kegagalan memahami konsep yang menyatukan semua watak, filem tersebut hanya meraih AS$130 juta (RM424 juta) di pawagam. Mungkin nampak seperti banyak, tetapi bila ditolak dari bajet asal sebanyak AS$102 juta (RM332,4 juta), pulangannya tidak begitu memberangsangkan.

Namun begitu, filem arahan Tom Tykwer dan Wachowski Bersaudara ini mendapat pujian yang hebat dari pihak pengkritik filem dengan Roger Ebert menggelarnya, "Antara filem yang paling hebat pernah dihasilkan" sementara majalah atas talian The Daily Beast pula mengatakan bahawa "Cloud Atlas" merupakan filem yang paling penting 2012.

Bagi kamu yang mengalami masalah pada mata seperti rabun jauh atau rabun dekat, keberadaan lensa kontak sangat membantu jika kamu enggan memakai kacamata. Tapi rupanya, lensa kontak kini juga bisa dipakai mereka yang matanya normal.

Ya, bahkan lensa kontak normal ini memiliki desain yang unik bahkan cenderung aneh serta seram seperti bisa membuat iris matamu tampak seperti mata ular atau kucing. Dilansir oddee.com, berikut beberapa di antaranya yang mungkin bisa membuatmu tertarik mencoba.

Keberadaan Nikita Mirzani sempat menjadi perbincangan hangat di dunia maya. Ketika bintang tersebut menulis tweet tengah berada di Singapura, peta yang muncul di akun twitternya adalah peta Grogol, Jakarta Barat.

Karena banyak yang meragukan keberadaan Nikita, ia langsung bereaksi dengan menelepon wartawan untuk membuktikan tengah berada di Singapura.

Dalam telepon tersebut terdapat kode +65 yang merupakan kode area dari negara tetangga Indonesia tersebut. Foto paspor Nikita Mirzani. ©@nikitamirzani Tidak cukup di situ, Nikita juga memotret paspor miliknya.

 Dalam paspor tersebut tertulis tanggal 21 September 2013, Nikita Mirzani diizinkan untuk memasuki Singapura. Tampaknya terjadi kesalahan pada geotaging, di mana keberadaan Nikita tidak tertulis secara tepat. Karena tweetnya, Nikita Mirzani sempat menutup akun selama beberapa jam dan lantas memberikan konfirmasi.

Penyanyi lagenda rock, Amy Search menyangkal dakwaan kononnya dia kini sudah pun disahkan jatuh muflis oleh sebuah blog yang mendedahkan salinan surat pengisytiharan muflis penyanyi berusia 55 tahun itu. 

Amy Search menafikan dakwaan tersebut, meskipun salin surat pengisytiharaan muflis itu turut dilengkapi nama penuh Amy iaitu Suhaimi A Rahman, bersama nombor kad pengenalannya.

 Namun,kita tidak berjaya untuk mendapat penjelasan lanjut daripada penyanyi era 80-an itu kerana beliau segera meletakan telefonnya sebaik menafikannya.

 Menurut gosip terdahulu, vokalis kumpulan Search itu dipercayai gagal untuk menyelesaikan sejumlah hutang yang dipinjamnya bagi menjayakan konsert jelajah kumpulan Search sekitar 2009.

Justeru, perkara tersebut telah dibawa ke mahkamah dan keputusan yang dikeluarkan telah menyebabkan Amy muflis.

HONG KONG  -- The year's most powerful typhoon slammed into southern China on Sunday evening, forcing hundreds of flight cancellations, shutting down shipping and putting a nuclear power plant on alert after pummeling parts of the Philippines and Taiwan with heavy rains and fierce winds.

Typhoon Usagi veered away from Hong Kong at the last minute and made landfall northeast of the former British colony. Forecasters had warned earlier that it posed a "severe threat" to the southern Chinese city.

Usagi — Japanese for rabbit — was classified as a severe typhoon, packing sustained winds of 175 kilometers (109 miles) per hour, with gusts of up to 213 kph (132 mph).

The storm was downgraded from a super typhoon on Saturday — with its sustained winds falling below 241 kilometers (150 miles) per hour — as it passed through the Luzon Strait separating the Philippines and Taiwan, likely sparing residents in both places from the most destructive winds near its eye.

 In the Philippines, Usagi left at least two people dead and two others missing, while in Taiwan nine people were hurt by falling trees on Kinmen island off China's coast. The typhoon landed near the city of Shanwei in the Chinese province of Guangdong, about 140 kilometers (87 miles) northeast of Hong Kong, and was moving west-northwest at 22 kph (14 mph), the Hong Kong Observatory said.

 It was expected to skirt about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Hong Kong overnight. Ferry services between Hong Kong and nearby Macau and outlying islands were suspended as the observatory raised the No. 8 storm warning signal, the third highest on a five-point scale.

It reported winds as strong as 68 kph (42 mph) and warned that a storm surge and heavy rains could cause flooding in low-lying areas. Police in Shanwei ordered more than 8,000 fishing boats to return to port and more than 1,200 residents were taken to temporary shelters, China's official Xinhua news agency reported.

The typhoon wreaked havoc on airport schedules in Hong Kong, nearby Macau and mainland China, upsetting travel plans for many passengers who were returning home at the end of the three-day mid-autumn festival long weekend. Hong Kong International Airport said 370 arriving and departing flights were canceled and another 64 delayed.

Two of Hong Kong's biggest airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair, canceled flights to and from the city's airport starting at 6 p.m. Sunday, with plans to resume operations Monday if conditions permit. Beijing-based Air China scrubbed 148 flights to and from Hong Kong, Macau and five nearby mainland cities.

China Southern Airlines, based in Guangzhou, canceled all flights to and from Hong Kong and three mainland airports, Xinhua said. Fujian province suspended shipping between mainland China and Taiwan, the news agency said.

Authorities in Guangdong initiated an emergency response plan for the Daya Bay nuclear power station northeast of Hong Kong as Usagi approached, ordering four of six reactors to operate at a reduced load, Xinhua said. In Taiwan, more than 3,300 people were evacuated from flood-prone areas and mountainous regions.

The storm also caused a landslide that buried a rail line on Taiwan's southeast coast, but rail services were restored by Sunday morning. Another landslide late Saturday in the southeastern hot springs resort village of Chihpen sent mud and rocks crashing through the ground floor of a resort spa, forcing the evacuation of frightened guests.

 The Chihpen River breached its levies upriver, turning the village's main street into a rock-strewn stream, flooding homes and damaging vehicles. In the Philippines, a 50-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman drowned when a passenger boat capsized in rough waters off northeastern Aurora province, the Office of Civil Defense said Saturday.

Two other people were missing in the incident, while the remaining nine passengers and crew were rescued. The typhoon set off landslides, flooded parts of six Philippine provinces and affected nearly 20,000 people, but disaster-response officials did not immediately report additional casualties.

NAIROBI, Kenya — The Kenyan military remained in a tense standoff with Islamic extremists Sunday, as the toll rose to 59 dead, including children, and 175 wounded in the attack at an upscale mall, a Kenyan minister said. Multiple barrages of gunfire erupted Sunday morning from inside the building where hostages are being held by militants.

The radicals attacked the mall Saturday and remained inside throughout the night. Kenya's Red Cross said in a statement citing police that 49 people had been reported missing. Officials did not make an explicit link but that number could form the basis of the number of people held hostage.

 "The priority is to save as many lives as possible," Joseph Lenku said, reassuring the families of the hostages in the upscale Westgate mall. Kenyan forces have already rescued about 1,000 people, he said.

Ten to 15 attackers remain in the mall and Kenyan forces control the security cameras inside the shopping center, Lenku said. Combined military and police forces surrounded the mall in the Westlands neighborhood of Nairobi, which is frequented by foreigners and wealthy Kenyans.

An  photographer saw Kenyan soldiers carry into the mall a rocket-propelled grenade, an extremely heavy weapon for an indoor hostage situation. Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga told reporters at the mall that he has been told officials couldn't determine the exact number of hostages inside the mall.

 "There are quite a number of people still being held hostage on the third floor and the basement area where the terrorists are still in charge," Odinga said. Somalia's al-Qaida-linked rebel group, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack in which they used grenades and assault rifles and specifically targeted non-Muslims.

The rebels said the attack was retribution for Kenyan forces' 2011 push into Somalia and threatened more attacks. Kenyans and foreigners were among those confirmed dead, including British, French, Canadians and Chinese.

Nineteen people, including at least four children, died after being admitted to Nairobi's MP Shah hospital, said Manoj Shah, the hospital's chairman. "We have at least two critical patients currently, one with bullets lodged near the spine," he said.

The hospital continued to receive patients Sunday, he said. Britain's Foreign Office said at least three U.K. nationals were killed in the attack and warned that the number of U.K. nationals confirmed as killed is "likely to rise as further information becomes available."

A 38-year-old Chinese woman was killed in the shopping mall "terror attack," the Chinese Embassy in Kenya said in a statement Sunday. Her son was injured in the attack and in a stable condition in hospital, according to the statement posted on the embassy's website.

Ghanaian poet Kofi Awoonor died after being injured in the attack, Ghana's presidential office confirmed. Kenya's presidential office said that one of the attackers was arrested on Saturday and died after suffering from bullet wounds.

Trucks brought in a fresh contingent of soldiers from the Kenya Defense Forces early Sunday. "Violent extremists continue to occupy Westgate Mall. Security services are there in full force," said the United States embassy in an emergency text message issued Sunday morning. Britain's Foreign Office said that Foreign Secretary William Hague has chaired a meeting of Britain's crisis committee and sent a rapid deployment team from London to Nairobi to provide extra consular support.

The United Nations Security Council condemned the attacks and "expressed their solidarity with the people and Government of Kenya" in a statement. There was some good news on Sunday, as Kenyan media reported that several people in hiding in the mall escaped to safety, suggesting that not everyone who is still inside is being held by al-Shabab.

Cecile Ndwiga said she had been hiding under a car in the basement parking garage. "I called my husband to ask the soldiers to come and rescue me. Because I couldn't just walk out anyhow. The shootout was all over here — left, right— just gun shots," she said.

Nairobi resident Paolo Abenavoli said he is holed up in his apartment only 100 meters from the mall with a direct view of the entrance. He said he could see a dozen or more security forces inside a first floor restaurant.

 "The battle is on now," Abenavoli  telephone as the fresh gunfire broke out Sunday. Security forces had pushed curious crowds far back from the mall. Hundreds of residents gathered on a high ridge above the mall to watch for any activity.